Improvement in nut-locks



A. i. POTTER.

NUT-LOCK.

No.180,9ZZ. Patenta& Aug.8,1876.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT J. POTTER, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

IMPROVEMENT lN NUT-LOCKS.

Specification formin g part of Letters Patent No. 180,!)22, dated August 8, 1876; application filed September 20, 1875.

To all wh m 'it may concern Be it k'wn that I, A. J. POTTER, of Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State of' Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Nut-Locks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and eX- act description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyin g drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

The invention relates to the Construction of a staple and provision of elongated coincident slots in the fish-plate and nut-locking plate of a rail-joint, by which said staple is adapted to he inserted, in and %removed from, the slots, and to hold said plates locked together, as hereinafter described.

Figure is-a side elevation of a railroad-joint enbodying my invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are cross-sections of the same, taken, respectively, through the lines :r w and y y, Fig. 1. Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views of the nut-loeking devices.

A A represent the ends of two adjoining raiload-rails with a fish-bar or fish-plate, B, o'n each side. C C are the bolts passing through said parts, and D D are the nut-s secured on the ends ot' the bolts. When the nuts D D are screwed up in place a slotted plate, E, is placed over the same, as shown in Fig. 1, the slot or slots in said plate being oblong, and of a size to allow one or more nuts to pass through the same. In the drawing I have shown the slots a a. large enough for the passage of two nuts through each. The plate E has, further, a narrow slot, b, at each end, and a corresponding slot, b', is made in the fishplate B under said plate. G is the fastening,

made in the form of a staple, having one arm,

d', made shorter than 'the other arm d. The short arm d' is passed horizontally through the Slots b b', and the staple then turned, so that the arms extend vertically downward,

whereby the plate E is held in place, thereby locking the nuts. To allow the inner arm d' of the staple G to pass down between the rail and fish-bar, eitherot' the same may he made slightly concave, or have a recess t'ormed therein for that purpose.

The staples G can be readily removed to take off the plate E, and thus allow the nuts D to be unscrewed when so desired.

I do not claim a locking-plat'e having slots which fit closely over the nuts combined with a headed bolt, which is passed through the fish-plate and locking-plate, and having its outer end bent downward, as I am aware that such is known.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination ot' the detachable U-shaped staple G with the fish-plate Band nut-locking plate E, having coincident slots, all constrncted and arranged as shown and described, whereby said staple is adapted to be inserted through and withdrawn from the slots, and to maintain a vertical position by the operation of gravity, and thus hold the parts B E connected, as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own Iaffix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT J. POTTER. 

